The British prime minister is being urged by fellow Conservatives to quicken his pace with a bill to re-enfranchise British expats.
The Queen’s Speech in May said the “15 year rule” would be abolished. The rule means that about one million British expats are denied a vote.
But the Votes for Life Bill has not been tabled for debate in Parliament. A Cabinet Office spokesman confirmed that the Government was working on the Votes for Life legislation, but did not give an indication of its timing.
Now Conservatives Abroad says it hopes that the Bill will go through in time for expats to be able to vote in the referendum on the EU which could be scheduled for as early as 2016.
Last May, Downing Street indicated that the 15 year rule would be kept in place for the referendum. British expats who have lived abroad for fewer than 15 years can participate.
Sir Roger Gale, a Conservative MP who campaigned to restore expat voting rights, wrote to the Prime Minister about two weeks ago seeking clarification on the point, but said he had not yet had a response.
“We’ve made a clear promise [on the 15-year rule] and if it’s going to be done at all, then it ought to be done in time for people to vote in the referendum,” he has said previously.
Brian Cave, a British expat in France who runs the Votes for Expat Brits campaign said: “Few of us would be living in other countries of the EU if it were not for the treaties signed between the UK and the EU. According to the Central Brittany Journal there are as many French living in south-east England as Brits living in France. A Brexit would affect both.”
Paul Barnes of Conservatives Abroad said: “It was our campaign within the Conservative Party that persuaded the party to commit to the Votes For Life Bill in the 2015 manifesto.
“We hope that the Votes for Life Bill will have gone through in time to be in force for the referendum. But it depends on the timing of the Bill and the referendum. We are pushing for this and will raise it with John Penrose, the Constitutional Affairs Minister.”
The Liberal Democratics at their party conference this week agreed that all British expats in the EU should be able to vote in the referendum on the EU. Paul Barnes pointed out that when in government the party was against abolishing the 15 year rule.
